Paul McCartney: The Driving Rain Thread

IMHO the album it's a little bit too long: but after all, it was a double-LP. The songwriting isn't alway at the top (i.e. FREEDOM), but there's some classic on it: FROM A LOVE TO A FRIEND, HEATHER and I DO. Very catchy songs like DRIVING RAIN, TINY BUBBLE and LONELY ROAD. And, boy, what a great bass sound on the album!!

www.mccartney-recordings.com

 

hard to believe this was only 2 years later than the amazing "flaming pie". (which hit #2 in the UK and US)

"driving rain" peaked at #46 in the UK and #26 in the US, none of his other studio albums even came close to doing that poorly.

and i agree, mccartney's worst overall studio effort, and the beginning of a run of albums that i am not very fond of at all.

 

Indeed it is, since the releases are 4,5 years apart .

 

Despite the general consensus, I've always considered the album cover to this album pretty darn good.

I agree that this is where Macca's voice starts to noticeably age in parts, but still the majority are fine tracks IMCO: From A Lover To A Friend, She's Given Up Talking, Driving Rain, I Do, Your Way, Spinning On An Axis and Riding Into Jaipur.

Freedom is just awful, but for all the right reasons: wanting to respond to our enemy's terror. Noel Coward did it better.

 

very true and i apologize for the error.

2 years removed form the cover album "run devil run" which reached a whopping #27 on the US chart...it garner a #12 in the UK however.

 

Paul's weakest album since Off The Ground and as others have said far too long. I do go back to it once in awhile to see if it will click with me, but i still find it a hard slog. I think apart From A Lover To A Friend it hasn't any memorable songs and it's one of Paul's least melodic outings.

 

I listened to it recently in the car and it was not as "bad" as I remembered. I thought it was quite good actually, it's just that Freedom is a giant pain in the neck.

 

"Your Way" and the Twin Freaks remix of "Rinse The Raindrops" are among my favorite McCartney tracks.

 

The Fab 4 Free 4 All guys have analysed the Driving Rain album in a recent podcast (episode #99) and its hilarious at times!
http://www.fab4free4all.com/streaming-episodes.html

 

I'm sorry to say that I really dislike this album, and I have played it several times since 2001. Starting with the dreary title, and right down to its grim and gray cover with a blurred Macca, this is a miserable affair. The trouble is, the music follows suit. Lousy lyrics, some of Paul's worst - and not interesting tunes. I place DR not only as Paul's very worst solo album, but literally the least by any of the four ex-Beatles as well, including Ringo. Now, I am a huge Ringo fan and I own all his solo work -- so I don't mean to belittle him by using him as a gauge... however, I always at least like one to three songs off Ringo's albums. I do not like even one single track off DR*. As I often say, not everything can go to the top of the list and something must be on the bottom.

*(Edited to add: Lately I have maybe been able to tolerate two or three of the songs, but it wasn't like that for 12 or 13 years).

 

While I'll agree in saying that "as a whole" the album isn't very good, I can't imagine anyone not liking "lonely road" "your loving flame", "magic" & "from a lover to a friend".

And Ringo takes the worst solo Beatles album honors with Ringo 2012.

 

"Lonely Road" is one of them that I have been able to hold down in my stomach lately. The others here - no thanks. I think "From A Lover To A Friend" sounds like a dirge... and so does "Your Loving Flame", but with some awful "Moon/Spoon/June/You/Blue" lyrics.

Not for me. I think his re-do of "Wings" is one of the best tracks he has ever done in his career, and I also love "Rock Island Line" and Buddy Holly's "Think It Over". I don't mind "Anthem" either.

 

"Freedom" doesn't really count as it was tacked on after 9/11 and the song would not have existed in any form had that not happened. Great album, very underrated.

 

Driving Rain is in my top five or so. But I also think NEW is a lower tier album for him, so I'm out of step with fellow McCartney fans.

 

I'm with you, DR whilst 2 or 3 songs too long slaughters New mostly IMO, New has some good tracks don't get me wrong, but as I said trim DR down to maybe 12 tracks & it wins hands down for me.

 

I'm a fan of the record. Have been since it came out.

 

I don't like "Magic", and I think the other three are merely all right, as is the title track. But I love "I Do", "Your Way", "She's Given up Talking", "Rinse the Raindrops", "About You", "Heather" and "Tiny Bubble".

Still don't think the album is very good.

 

So you love half the album but don't think the album is very good?!

 

Me do

 

Magic and Heather are classic McCartney. IMHO, a lot of very strong tracks on the album. Unfortunately, from a sound quality perspective, this is where McCartney's catalog begins to take a nose dive, culminating in the horribly crushed Chaos and Creation in the Backyard and Memory Almost Full.

 

Yes, for a McCartney album it's not very good. The songs not listed at all are more or less total dreck.

A "good" McCartney album has a ratio of about 80/20 good/bad. Obviously this rating applies to my favourite artists only - Beach Boys, Beatles, Blur and Sir Paul.

 

I read that Paul yelled at a rug vendor in India right before the Driving Rain sessions and it hurt his voice.

 

Lonely Road and Your Loving Flame are not "total dreck" by any stretch of the imagination.

 

Damn right.
I'd add Magic to that list too.